Darken Rahl’s Reckoning
by tinylexie
Summary: A poem detailing Darken Rahl’s thoughts toward Kahlan in and after “Reckoning.”


Did you see how easy peace came, my love,

As soon as you agreed to be my wife?

I didn't try to crush the Resistance.

All they had to do was lay down their weapons.

As soon as I did that, I was satisfied.

I no longer had any reason to kill them.

It's kill or be killed, my love;

And now that no one is trying to kill me,

There can be peace and harmony.

I could have taken advantage of you, my love,

But I waited until we were married;

I waited until I had your agreement

That you would be my wife in every way.

Our marriage was the happiest day of my life, my love.

To have you as my wife was a dream come true for me.

You are a lioness, my love,

As explosive as any volcano.

The blood in your eyes when I threatened your lover,

The passion and the fury that you unleashed

On behalf of your lover,

I wish you would do the same, my love,

If anyone ever threatened me.

I wish you would treat me as you treat your lover.

I wish you would look at me and call my name

The same way you look at your lover and call his name.

I wish the intensity you are always directing at me

Was of love and compassion

Instead of anger and hatred.

You are as beautiful as a waterfall, my love.

Your eyes contain more glory

Than even the most glorious of rivers.

No gem could ever hope to do justice

To your brilliant, sparkling eyes.

Your hair is more luscious than any piece of silk.

You are a jewel among mere stones.

You are a pearl among mere rocks.

Your beauty, my love,

Outshines even the grandest of diamonds and rubies.

You are the greatest of prizes,

A true and precious treasure.

There could never possibly be a gift

More fine and more worthy than you.

You are as beautiful and as fierce as a wolf, my love,

But your heart also beats with gentleness and compassion.

I wish you would show me

Some of that gentleness and compassion,

But your eyes burn into me so much that I just want to die.

Being in your presence is like being surrounded by electricity;

Yet I love you, and you have brought me lots of joy.

You have given me a son and heir.

You have helped me to bring peace to both our peoples, my love,

And control is now in my hands.

There is no more reason to fight and to kill

Because I have power and authority in my hands,

Thanks to you, my love.

Your marriage to me made everything better for everyone.

I hope the people appreciate you as much as I appreciate you.

I hate to keep your powers locked inside you, my love,

For your powers entrance me and hold me spellbind,

But you said yourself you would always despise me.

How could I ever trust you, my love, after that?

You would turn my people against me if you could.

I've been nothing but gentle and kind to you, my love,

But your only response is to look at me

With pure hatred in your beautiful eyes.

I want to love you truly and fully.

I want our love to be a deep, human love,

But I don't have your love.

I don't understand why.

You expected me to kill you after our son was born,

But I kept you alive;

And I made it clear to you

That I wanted your guidance in raising our son.

I wanted you to be a part of our lives.

All was well until your tried to kill our son.

Why, my love, why?

I did not wish for your death.

I wanted you to help our son

Become a great ruler one day.

Why did you try to kill him?

Did you think he was a monster

Because of who his father was?

Am I really that despicable to you, my love,

Even after all the years we've been together?

I didn't want to order your death,

But you threatened our son.

You threatened me as well.

I was happy with both you and our son.

I didn't need the power over life and death.

I was content with my kingdom as it was.

I didn't need to be the ultimate power

With you, my love, by my side,

But you wanted to eliminate our son.

You destroyed my dream of being

A part of a family that genuinely cared about me.

I wish I knew why you acted the way you did, my love.

Pain, great pain, unbearable pain.

My body is burnt; my soul is with my master now.

How could you have helped to kill me, my love?

Why do you love my brother so much?

What does he have that I don't have?

He is meaningful to you.

I wish I could be just as meaningful to you.

I want to feel like I matter

And that my life is worth something,

But my only comfort is my desire for power.

Power is everything; power is majestic.

As long as I have power, I am somebody important.

I'm not the evil demon that you think I am, my love.

I was a good husband to you; I treated you like a queen.

I would have been even kinder to you

If only you had been kind to me.

You would not have had to live the life of a prisoner

If only you had fully been on my side,

If only I could have fully trusted you;

But I should have known better.

I can't trust anyone.

It's kill or be killed.

You made a mistake, my love,

When you helped my brother to kill me.

Oh, my love, if only you had known then

That there were worse possible futures

Than a future bounded to me.


End file.
